Domestic Adoptions and $$?

Question

A good friend recently told me that in the US a private domestic adoption can cost upwards of $60,000. Is this true? Not that I'm doubting her or anything, but I just can't understand for the life of me why it would cost so much. I mean I'm not nieve or anything, it's just that I don't understand how it can cost so very much!

Answer 1

It is a shame that people pay extra for caucasian babies.  I understand that some couples want a child of the same race as they are.  I have no problem with that.  But what does it say about a society who puts a premium on caucasian babies?  Every child is and should be considered special.  But, you do have people who are willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a caucasian baby through private or independent adoption.

Typically the cost range for a private/independent adoption ranges from $8,000 to $40,000.

But, most reputable agencies charge a flat fee for domestic adoptions no matter the race.  The cost to adopt through an agency ranges anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 which is similar to that of a private/independent adoption.

The fees, whether a private adoption or you adopt through an agency, typically cover the costs for the homestudy, post-placement supervision, court costs, legal/lawyer fees, birthparent counseling, and medical expenses for the birthmother allowable by law.  Of course there are other expenses to consider in some cases like travel and lodging expenses.

If you adopt a child from foster care, then the costs is practically $0 and there are many children of different races in foster care who are waiting for a home.

Answer 2

I've never heard of anyone spending anywhere near that amount for adoption fees. According to the site http://www.theadoptionguide.com/, the average cost for a domestic newborn adoption is $15,000- $20,000. Yes, it can be more expensive depending on the circumstances, but not $60,000.

You will also often hear that international adoptions are that expensive too, but the average is about $20,000- $25,000 (both of our international adoptions were under $19,000 total.)

Here's some more statistics on fees

http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles...

Answer 3

That sounds like a lot. We also paid less than 15K for a private adoption. Attorney expenses, counseling for us and birth mom, some other expenses for birth mom.

Answer 4

CAN cost that much? YES. If you want a healthy white baby fresh from the womb, then it's quite pricey because a lot of adoptive parents are competing for the newborn white babies.

If you are happy to adopt a mix race, or minority race, then your cost will go down, and it varies by race (this is incredibly horrific, but true)

If you're willing to adopt a child with disabilities/health problems, then you will get another price deduction.

And if you're willing to adoption older children from the foster care system, then often it's free.

It's kind of yucky isn't it? Adoption is supposed to be about providing children in need with a home, not about providing wealthy families with the child of their dreams.

But this is America, and that's capitalism for you.

So just remember, if you think you are "rescuing" a new born white infant from a life without a family, that's really not true, you're actually competing for the privilege. Do something noble for a change and adopt a child that is TRULY at risk of never being given a family.

It's cheaper too!

Answer 5

A Caucasian Infant baby can in fact cost you that much or more in adoption fees, lawyer fees and such.  Adoption agencies can be very expensive.  Adoption through your county however isn't.

Answer 6

NO!  It doesn't cost that much.  And if it did, that couple got ripped off!

We adopted and it was around $25,000 but we went with a well-known agency in our area and we took classes, they have counselors, etc.  All this stuff costs $.

Besides, it's not about the cost, it's about giving a child a loving, safe, nurturing home.

Answer 7

OK.  The answers from the people on this site are SOOO incorrect.  Caucasian babies are no more expensive than other babies just because they are caucasian.  This isn't EBay people!!

Adoptions that I have heard about generally range from $20,000 to $35,000.  Here are some of the costs that can drive up an adoption.

Lawyer fees.  These can be between $6,000 and $10,000 per lawyer.  This may sound high, but that is what it costs.

Medical Fees.  This is where a significant portion of the costs can come from.  This is also why you want to get a reputable lawyer.  A good attorney will ensure that the birthmom has good insurance, or get the birthmom on some type of assistance such as medicare.  A poor attorney won't bother, and will pass the costs along to the adoptive parents.

Nanny Fees.  Between the time a child is born and the time he/she is placed with the adoptive parents, he/she needs to stay somewhere.  The adoptive parents pay this, usually at a rate of about $100/day.

Advertising fees.  A good adoption attorney goes out and finds birthmoms and adoptive parents.  They don't just wait for them to walk in the door.  These can be between $1,500 and $3,000.

Lost Wages.  The birthmom has a right to ask for a reasonable amount of lost wages.  Since many birth moms choose adoption because they can't afford the baby, they really can't afford to lose the pay when they are out on maternity leave.  Depending upon her occupation, this can be between $4,000 and $15,000.

Counseling.  A good attorney will offer counseling to a birthmom before and after the birth.  This can be between $300 and $1,500.

Travel.  The birthmom needs to travel to the attorney's office, to doctor visits, to counseling sessions, etc.  She also may need to stay in a hotel for a day or two after being released from the hospital, depending upon when she signs the papers.

Answer 8

It can, but my son's adoption was under 15K

Answer 9

It does. My son is nearly 12 years old and we adopted him at birth and it was about $30,000 and I have no trouble believing that it's gone up a lot since then. A lot of the cost depends on the agency you use and what it is you "get" for the cost. What I mean by that is that there is a lot of risk inherent in the adoption process and it's a matter of how much risk you want to take or how much risk you want the agency to take. The way the agency I used worked was that the birhtparents selected us as the family they wanted for their child. This was a couple of months before the baby was born. At that point there is no guarantee of anything and there can't be because it is illegal for parents to sign over their rights ot the child before the child is born. The decision can not be made until after the birth of the baby. The timing is different depending on the state you live in but, it varies from a few days to a few weeks. The point I'm trying to make is that in my case, if the birthparents had changed their mind about wanting to keep their baby after he was born (and they had previously agreed to let us adopt him), the agency would still pay for the expenses related to the birth and would have then found us another couple to be chosen by -- all for the same cost. It can take several babies being born before the adoption necessarily happens. This can cost a lot of money and a lot of heart ache if the people are doing it on their own. The agency can take on a lot of this responsibility and work and that's what costs so much money. Also to be perfectly blunt -- it's all a matter of supply and demand. There are lots of people out there who want healthy newborn babies and not enough to go around. So adoption agencies can charge a lot and make the money themselves. They can not give the money to the birthparents (beyond covering expenses related to the birth) but they can offer counseling and places to live and expert medical care adn that all costs money -- and it averages out that it takes more than one birth to provide more than one baby to be available to adopt.